Analysis Of The 39 Steps

‘The 39 Steps’, was performed in QPAC’s Cremorne Theatre and was expertly directed by Jon Halpin. The original novel written by John Buchan has been cleverly adapted to the stage and set. The play is set in London where Richard Hannay (Hugh Parker), a Canadian on holiday in England meets Anabella Schmidt (Liz Buchannan), a spy who is running from secret agents who want to kill her. Anabella is soon murdered by the other spies and dies before she can tell Richard any more about ‘the 39 steps’. Along his journey, Richard is met by many people who are all played by ‘the clowns’ (Leon Cain and Brian Proberts), two characters who play multiple roles, making the play a comedy. The production interweaves repetition, creative stagecraft and exceptional

One of these is through extensive use of repetition, which effectively produces quite funny scenes. This is evident when two clowns are detectives, trying to stop Richard from finding out what ‘The 39 Steps’ is. The clowns get into a car and the clown in the passenger seat had to start the car by manually cranking the engine over. He proceeded to do this about five times before they could move on. After this scene, every time he tried to do the same thing, it created humour. What also makes this production more comedic is the clowns ability to remain with a straight face and act seriously, for example the stair scene where one of the clowns continues to pretend to walk up the stairs with Richard following. The use of repetition here stretches the scene out creating a long-extended piece of comedy. The scenes in the play that use repetition are best created by the clowns. The acting style and ability to release tension in the scenes, together with repetition is backed by the creative stagecraft by the director, to successfully produce a memorable

With the production taking place in many different places over a short period of time the director required a set that could be easily adapted. The use of blocks and other simple props were skilfully applied making the production more enjoyable. The stage had a rotating set, meaning it was easier to make the audience believe they are in a different location. The use of blocks was creative as the director could create many different items, such as; beds, cars, train seats, tables and the like. The actors created the scenes with the use of these blocks even if the audience saw them. In the car scene, for example, one of the clowns makes the car in centre stage. This added humour as the audience could laugh at the clown while he was making the car. The set allowed the cast, especially the clowns, to quickly change outfits and become new people in different locations. Another scene where creative stagecraft is evident is the stair scene. The clown leads Richard up what is believed to be a staircase, while Richard can see that it really is just blocks. The inventiveness of the stagecraft shows the effective use of the rotating set. The director has created a stage which appears to show many different places over a short period of time. The play also shows evidence of Film Noir throughout, its use of imaginative comedic devices and ingenious characterisation creating an environment in which the